Demonstrator Project Demonstrator project overview 6 Demonstrator - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

11th October 2013 Southwark Direct Payment Demonstrator Project

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Demonstrator project overview

• 6 Demonstrator LAs across the UK

– England - Southwark, Wakefield, Oxford and Shropshire – Torfaen – Wales & Edinburgh – Scotland – 3 LA landlords and 9 Housing Associations/providers

• Paying HB direct with an arrears trigger
• What we are doing and who it affects

– 1,474 Southwark council residents – 525 Family Mosaic residents

• Potential to inform and influence:

– Universal Credit design to help our customers – Voluntary and 3rd sector support agencies

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Our approach

March 2012

– 2,000 tenants advised of selection

• Exceptions planned – Pensioners exempt from selection

– Request for bank details and completion of a self-assessment support needs survey / risk assessment

May 2012

– Advice Days provided

June 2012

– First tenants switched onto DP

Ongoing support and drop-in sessions

CAB and Blackfriars Advice Centre

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‘Scores on the doors’

• Over £5 million has been paid in Housing Benefit directly
• Rent collection rate is 91% overall for Southwark project

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Tenant Sample segmentation at Period 12 - Jun'13

Total number of tenants paid by Direct Payment in period

921 46%

Switchback

251 13%

Require further work - referred for support

220 11%

Non-engagers

199 10%

HB cancelled for any other reason than vacated

136 7%

Refusals - engaged but did not provide eg bank details

135 7%

Others - includes failed payments, suspensions etc

92 5%

HB cancelled as tenant has vacated

38 2%

Payment Exceptions

7 0% Total number of tenants in scope for the DP 1999 100% Total

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Risk profile of Southwark DP tenants

• All tenants completed a risk assessment questionnaire
• 36% have a Tier 1 risk factor

– implying significant support needs and an APA

• 41% have a Tier 2 risk factor (& no Tier 1)

– Implying some support needs and possible APA

• 23% reported no significant risk factors

– But there is evidence of under-reporting particularly around debt

• Learning is that risk assessment must be evidence

based

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Approach to support

• All tenants offered opportunity to receive advice before going
• nto DP

– Advice Days with Housing, Benefits, VCS partners, Banks/CU – Less than 5% take-up – Those who attended loved it

• Tenants getting into arrears on DP are all referred to relevant

agencies for support

– 80% decline support – No takers to try ‘jamjar’ accounts – Some ‘difficult’ cases are managing DP with support

• Stronger incentive needed in UC – Claimant Commitment

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Different approach = different results

• Across all DPDPs

– triggers, resource and support levels vary

• Within Southwark project we have different...

– IT and telephony capability – Staff skills/grades – Corporate objectives – Collection rates

• ...although tenant risk scores are similar for FM & LBS
• DPDPs are developing a ‘Landlord Learning’ document of what

has been tried and what we have found works

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Family Mosaic Support Provision for DP

• Welfare Rights Adviser
• Money Adviser
• Tenancy Sustainment Officer
• Toynbee Hall Money Worker
• 200 tenants referred for ‘support’ since start of

project.

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Family Mosaic People initially contacted

• 96 self-identified as ‘needing support’ through

Southwark self assessment survey

• 75% responded to contact

– Of these, 37.5% did not need support with financial matters – 6.25% were already receiving support – 6.25% needed support from FM with their benefits or tenancy – 25% did not respond to any contact

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Family Mosaic External referrals

• 13 tenants referred to Toynbee Hall for banking

support

– 4 tenants supported to open bank accounts – 2 tenants identified as ‘exclusions’

• 14 tenants referred to SHP (local floating

support provider)

– No tenants engaged with SHP

• Q. What is the perception of support?

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Family Mosaic Support for Switchbacks

• People have revealed support needs at point of

switchback

• Not just a benefits issue – the need for a more

holistic support service

• Dedicated ‘tenancy sustainment’ role
• Working with tenants to put them back on DP

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Observations

• Arrears will increase
• Administrative costs will increase

– Income Officer ‘patch’ was 900 households is now 500, only half of whom are actually on DP – Many more payments to process

• Support is resource intensive

– Getting people to engage takes time and effort – People prefer face to face contact and ‘one to one’ advice – Drop in advice sessions / open days not always a success

• Switchback process has revealed more support needs where

people have found themselves struggling to manage

• Customer relationships and knowledge are becoming key

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3 key challenges for Southwark

• Rent arrears rise in spite of extra costs

– How will the extra costs be funded?

• Not clear how UC will manage the switchback process

– Lack of automated links with UC will make process unworkable – Key learning from DPDPs is that the close relationship between Landlord and LA is vital to process operation

• Effective delivery of support, with an outcome that reduces

arrears

– Levels of support in project are not scalable to BAU – Who carries the risk of failed support?

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Local Support Services Framework

• What is LSSF and who will require it
• What services will be provided

– Existing / New (specific to the migration and implementation of UC)

• Triage and Orientation
• Online Access – ‘Digital Where Appropriate’
• Financial Products Provision and Budgeting/debt advice
• Welfare Benefit and Advice
• What we’re developing and hoping to achieve

– Service mapping with commissioners and providers of support services – Partnership working across the Council, JCP and VCS partners – Joined up approach to create a “single claimant journey” for claimants with complex needs, identifying cases for exception payments

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Any questions?

Karen Michael Service Development Team Leader Karen.michael@southwark.gov.uk Denise Brewster Denise.brewster@familymosaic.co.uk 020 7525 4867 07507 470344